Indian Removal Act

The Indian Removal Act was a law passed by the US Congress on 28 May 1830 under Democratic president Andrew Jackson, forcing Native Americans to relocate to the federal lands west of the Mississippi River. The Indians were forced to embark on the "Trail of Tears" to Oklahoma under the act, which was strongly opposed by Christian missionaries and several congressmen; however, the policy was supported by white southerners, who sought to migrate out west and settle new lands.